De Montfort University

What De Montfort University does

De Montfort University (DMU) is a UK public university, chartered in 1992 from the former Leicester Polytechnic and headquartered at The Gateway, Leicester. It serves a cited population of more than 170,000 current and former students across undergraduate, postgraduate taught, postgraduate research, foundation, apprenticeship, and distance-learning programmes, delivered through a five-campus network spanning Leicester, London (launched May 2026), Dubai, Cambodia, and Kazakhstan.

DMU's product portfolio is centred on academic programmes plus an expanding portfolio of applied-research, employer-services, and entrepreneurship offerings. Distinctive academic offerings include MSc Cybersecurity and AI, Global MBA in Responsible Leadership, and MSc Responsible Data Analytics at the London campus — co-designed with IBM, Barclays, Deloitte, PwC, and fintech Ekko — plus new BEng/MEng Biomedical Engineering degrees developed with GE HealthCare. DMU applies a house teaching methodology (block teaching, introduced across all faculties in 2022) that has lifted pass rates from 84% to 88%, continuation from 76.5% to 85.8%, and teaching satisfaction from 73.4% to 85%. Research outputs include the £3m NIHR-funded RESHAPE climate-health programme (Malawi, Vietnam, Tanzania, Uganda), a £200k Innovate UK KTP with we.are.sdi on AR/VR retail environments, CNN-based microstructure detection for stainless-steel quality control, and a federated-learning study on IoT malware detection. Student entrepreneurship is supported through DMU Made (Future Freelancers, TEDxDeMontfortU) and the Crucible incubator. DMU has launched the AI Campus Collective (June 2026) for institutional AI literacy and co-developed the Creative Registration Framework with the Institute of Science and Technology.

DMU earns revenue through four streams: tuition fees from domestic and international students (managed via UCAS and a Global Partnerships Unit with educational agents); research grants and contracts (notably NIHR and UKRI); Knowledge Transfer Partnerships co-funded by Innovate UK; and business services including continuing professional education, higher and degree apprenticeships, graduate recruitment, room and venue hire, and startup support through Crucible and DMU Made. Employer and enterprise engagement is run through a dedicated Business Services team across multiple industry development managers. International student recruitment operates via transnational campuses in Dubai, Cambodia and Kazakhstan, supplemented by the new London campus targeting employer-sponsored postgraduate learners. DMU holds TEF Silver (2023), Race Equality Charter Bronze, and the UN Academic Impact Hub Chair for SDG11; it ranks 12th globally for SDG16 and top-200 overall in the 2026 THE Impact Ratings.

Name

De Montfort University

Legal name

De Montfort University

Website

https://dmu.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

De Montfort University is a UK public, multi-campus higher education institution delivering undergraduate, postgraduate, apprenticeship, and transnational programmes to ~170,000 students across Leicester, London, Dubai, Cambodia, and Kazakhstan, with employer-anchored programmes in cybersecurity, AI, biomedical engineering, and responsible leadership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities (EDAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Postgraduate research degrees
• Higher degree apprenticeships
• Business incubation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition fees: Domestic and international tuition fees from undergraduate, postgraduate, foundation, and distance learning students across all faculties. Fee levels differ for domestic (UK/EU) and international students, with international recruitment managed through a dedicated Global Partnerships Unit and educational agents.
2. Research grants and contracts: Grant funding from bodies including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UK Government international development funding, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The £3m RESHAPE project (NIHR-funded) examines climate change impacts on healthcare systems across Malawi, Vietnam, Tanzania, and Uganda.
3. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs): DMU engages in KTPs with businesses, co-funded by government. The £200,000 two-year KTP with we.are.sdi develops immersive mixed-reality retail environments using AR/VR tools, covering virtual prototyping and consumer behaviour analysis.
4. Business services and consultancy: Revenue from enterprise and business services including continuing professional education, higher and degree apprenticeships, graduate recruitment, room hire, venue hire, and startup support programmes such as Crucible and DMU Made.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

De Montfort University (DMU) is a UK public higher education institution delivering undergraduate, postgraduate, foundation and apprenticeship programmes across multiple UK faculties and four international campuses (Leicester, London, Dubai, Cambodia, Kazakhstan). It provides academic degrees, professional development and degree apprenticeships, business services (KTPs, consultancy, continuing professional education), and runs a flagship business incubator (Crucible) and student entrepreneurship platform (DMU Made). Its teaching model is built on block teaching (one module at a time), introduced across all faculties in 2022, alongside research in climate-health, cybersecurity, biomedical engineering, creative industries, and AI.

Product overview

De Montfort University (DMU) is a higher education institution offering a diverse portfolio of academic programmes and student support services across multiple delivery modes (on-campus, distance learning, international campuses in Leicester, London, Dubai, Cambodia, and Kazakhstan). The university's product portfolio includes undergraduate and postgraduate academic programmes, with notable offerings in cybersecurity and AI at its London campus through corporate partnerships with IBM, Barclays, Deloitte, PwC and Ekko. Student entrepreneurship is supported through DMU Made (including Future Freelancers and TEDxDemontfortU) and the Crucible business incubator. The university operates research initiatives including the £3m RESHAPE climate-health project and AR/VR retail technology partnerships. DMU's distinctive Block Teaching methodology (studying one module at a time) is delivered across all faculties. The institution also provides the DMU AI Campus Collective for AI literacy and the Creative Registration Framework for creative industry professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DMU Made: Student and graduate entrepreneurship platform supporting self-employment, freelancing, and entrepreneurship
• Crucible
• TEDxDeMontfortU
• Freedom to Achieve
• RESHAPE

Products and services

• MSc in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence
• Global MBA in Responsible Leadership
• MSc in Responsible Data Analytics
• GE HealthCare Biomedical Engineering Degrees (BEng and MEng)
• Higher and Degree Apprenticeships
• DMU English Language Courses (CELL)
• DMU Made
• Crucible Business Incubator
• Creative Registration Framework (CRF)
• East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC)
• DMU AI Campus Collective
• Freedom to Achieve

Quantifiable outcome

• Pass rates increased from 84% to 88% since 2022 block teaching implementation
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• GE HealthCarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMU partnered with GE HealthCare in November 2025 to launch two new biomedical engineering degree programmes (BEng and MEng). The partnership was formalised at a campus event and aims to develop students' technical skills in medical technology and foster collaboration between industry and academia.
• we.are.sdicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMU partnered with design agency we.are.sdi in December 2025 on a two-year £200,000 Knowledge Transfer Partnership to develop immersive mixed-reality retail environments using AR/VR tools. The project aims to enhance virtual prototyping, analyse consumer behaviour, and reduce environmental impact.
• IBMflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBM partnered with DMU to shape curriculum and industry placements for the London campus launched in May 2026, specifically for MSc in cybersecurity and AI programmes. IBM contributes industry expertise to ensure curriculum relevance to employer demand.
• BarclaysflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarclays partnered with DMU to shape curriculum and industry placements for the London campus, contributing to global MBA in responsible leadership and other programmes designed to address employer demand for skills in AI, digital, leadership and sustainability.
• DeloitteflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte partnered with DMU to shape curriculum and industry placements for the London campus, specifically for the global MBA in responsible leadership and MSc in responsible data analytics programmes.
• PwCflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPwC partnered with DMU to shape curriculum and industry placements for the London campus, supporting programmes in AI, digital, leadership and sustainability skills development.
• EkkominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFintech start-up Ekko partnered with DMU for the London campus to contribute to curriculum shaping and industry placements, adding start-up innovation perspective alongside major corporations.
• University of East AngliaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for the £3m RESHAPE project, working with DMU and partners in Malawi, Vietnam, Tanzania, and Uganda to investigate climate change impacts on hospitals and healthcare providers.
• Hanoi University of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVietnamese partner in the RESHAPE project, collaborating with DMU and other international partners to investigate climate change threats to healthcare systems.
• Kamuza University of Health Sciences (Malawi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMalawian partner in the RESHAPE project investigating climate change threats to healthcare infrastructure and services.
• Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTanzanian partner in the RESHAPE project examining how climate change and extreme weather threaten hospitals and healthcare providers.
• Mbarara University of Science and Technology (Uganda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUgandan partner in the RESHAPE project working with DMU to investigate healthcare system resilience under climate-related extreme weather events.
• University of LeedsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK academic partner in the RESHAPE project contributing to the multi-institutional research team.
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK academic partner in the RESHAPE project contributing clinical and public health research expertise.
• Patient and Community Welfare Foundation (Malawi)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMalawian community partner in the RESHAPE project working with Kamuza University and international team.
• East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Dr Ismini Vasileiou at DMU, the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster supports SMEs in strengthening cyber resilience. DMU's work with the cluster was submitted to the Cabinet Office as an impact case linked to the UK's wider industrial strategy.
• National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment cyber security agency represented at the UK Global R&D and Science Investment Summit roundtable on building delivery infrastructure for cyber resilient growth, contributing to the UK's Cyber Growth Action Plan.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department represented at the roundtable on cyber resilient growth led by Dr Ismini Vasileiou, addressing the UK's industrial strategy and Cyber Growth Action Plan.
• BT GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBT Group represented at the UK Global R&D and Science Investment Summit roundtable on cyber resilient growth, participating in discussions on the UK's Cyber Growth Action Plan.
• University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMU collaborated with UEH CoLab to organise a Master Class 'SDG 11, Creative and Social Enterprise: A Case Study from Leicester' on May 20, 2026, attracting over 30 students in hybrid format. Presentations by Dr. Mark Charlton and Dr. Hiu Man Chan explored culture, arts, creativity and social enterprise for sustainable urban development.
• DMU Consortium (DMU, University of Leicester, Loughborough University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-university partnership (Open Libraries project) providing free public membership of all three university libraries for residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, attracting 1,708 new members since February 2025. Partners: Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council.
• University of Tartu (Estonia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with DMU researchers on a comparative study evaluating federated learning against centralised training for IoT malware detection, using the CTU-IoT-Malware-Capture dataset.
• Atatürk University and Artvin Çoruh University (Türkiye)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurkish university partners collaborated with DMU on a comparative study evaluating federated learning for IoT malware detection, testing MLP and ResNet architectures under IID and Non-IID distributions.
• IntoUniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMU hosts the IntoUniversity Leicester North Centre (Beaumont Leys) in partnership with University of Leicester since 2023, supporting young people from underrepresented backgrounds through mentoring and educational guidance. Funded by Randal Foundation and Ian and Clare Mattioli Charitable Trust.
• Leicester City Council; Leicestershire County Council; Rutland County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partners in the Open Libraries project enabling public access to three university libraries across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland since February 2025.
• Creative UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative UK endorsed the Creative Registration Framework (CRF) developed by the Institute of Science & Technology with leadership from Professor Tracy Harwood at DMU. The CRF provides professional recognition for technical professionals in creative industries.
• Institute of Science and Technology (IST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIST developed the Creative Registration Framework (CRF) with Professor Tracy Harwood of DMU chairing the Creative Steering Group. The framework is one of the UK's first professional registration systems for creative industries technical professionals.
• East Midlands Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDMU supports initiatives delivered by the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce and Sir Thomas White Charity, including networking events and business engagement activities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Northumbria University: Northumbria is a post-92 UK university with a similarly large international student base, strong sustainability credentials, and a comparable employer-engagement model — directly comparable to DMU on scale, segment, and growth strategy.
• Anglia Ruskin University: Anglia Ruskin is a similarly positioned post-92 university with campuses in the East of England and global partnerships — a direct peer competing with DMU for international students and corporate training contracts across applied programmes.
• Coventry University: Coventry is one of the UK's largest post-92 universities with an extensive transnational education network (similar to DMU's Dubai/Cambodia/Kazakhstan campuses), a TEF Gold award, and major corporate partnerships — a direct peer on internationalisation strategy and post-92 positioning.
• Loughborough University: Loughborough is a fellow East Midlands institution of similar scale and a partner in DMU's Open Libraries consortium. Although more research-intensive than DMU, it competes directly for students, employer partnerships, and regional talent in the same geography.
• University of Westminster: Westminster is a London-based post-92 university with a strong international student profile and London placement opportunities — a direct competitor for DMU's new London campus recruitment and for international students targeting the UK capital.
• Nottingham Trent University: Nottingham Trent is a comparable large post-92 UK university with strong employer-engagement, large international student intake, and TNE partnerships — a direct competitor for the same UK East Midlands and international student segments that DMU targets.
• University of Bedfordshire: Bedfordshire is a similarly sized post-92 university competing with DMU for international students and employer partnerships in the same UK mid-tier segment, with overlapping programmes in business, law, health, and technology.
• University of South Wales: University of South Wales is a similarly sized post-92 UK institution with significant international recruitment and applied/employer-led programmes — a relevant peer for DMU's positioning in the mid-tier UK HE segment and TNE strategy.
• University of Hertfordshire: Hertfordshire is a comparable large post-92 UK university with a similar mix of undergraduate/postgraduate recruitment, significant international intake, and employer-engagement programmes — directly comparable on size, segment, and operating model.
• University of Leicester: The University of Leicester is DMU's closest geographic peer — both are large post-1992-era institutions based in Leicester with overlapping research portfolios, similar student scale, and a long-standing collaboration (including the Open Libraries consortium with Loughborough and IntoUniversity outreach). Directly competes for the same domestic and international student pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dmuleicester
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DeMontfortUniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/dmuleicester
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-montfort-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/dmuleicester
• TikToktiktok.com/@dmuleicester?lang=en

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about De Montfort University